C-.
I think that Brooks was a very bad pick. On paper he looks good, he has the stats, and measurables. When I actually delved in and watched the tape, I didn't like what I saw. I actually went and watched several more games of him than the ones I posted. He just doesn't look like a starting NFL linebacker. When he isn't running in a straight line he looks very slow. He is very tight and had troubles shedding blocks against stronger competition. His coverage skills are non-existent and I was shocked to see how bad his tackling was. He has a nasty habit of over pursuing and taking bad angles. One of his specialties was supposed to be spying Quarterbacks, but when I saw him play against Jalen Hurts he was constantly out of position or just getting schooled.
Brooks is not a first round talent. Brooks is incredibly raw as a player and is not to be what I believe to be a day one starter. My guess is he will probably start day one, but our defense will suffer for it. He is a project player, I did not see strong fundamentals. I wanted to like him, he had a really cool story and he's actually very motivating, what you would describe as a natural leader. It's just the more I watched Brooks the more I watched Brooks the more I had the question "why?" running through my head.
I actually like our second pick, Darrell Taylor. He is a guy I can see contributing as a situational pass rusher. I don't see him helping the run defense much, but from what I observed with a little bit of refinement he could be our next Chris Clemons. Very similar skill set and in some ways he played a similar role at his school. He is an undersized pass rusher with speed. What is cool about his speed though is it is apparent on tape, and he can start and stop on a dime. His ability to rotate and come back around is insane for a guy his size. It sounds like they're going to use him as a stand up pass rusher at the leo position. My guess is he is going to be rotating in and out with Bruce Irvin. I can see him being a contributor in third downs on day one.
Damien Lewis is not a guard I'm content with. His run blocking was really good, but for fun I watched scouting tapes on Joe Burrows to see how he was as a pass blocker. Not pretty. He's going to get Russell Wilson killed if he sees any playing time. I think the Seahawks needed more here to be honest with you. Russell Wilson is getting older, and a bit slower than he was in his youth. The Seahawks absolutely need more help on the offensive line. I don't think they can continue prioritizing run blockers above all else. Above all else we chose a guard when our most glaring hole was at right tackle. In a draft that was stacked at offensive line, I don't understand why we didn't go offensive line earlier when our RT has the potential to be a real problem or even LT when our LT is now one of the oldest LT's in the league.
As for the rest I don't think the Seahawks did a good job addressing RB concerns. Dallas seems like he could be a great third down back, but the problem is we already have several of those. I watched some games of Dallas and his vision doesn't seem to be top notch. He looks like a guy that transitioned to running back from wide receiver. Under different circumstances I would have actually liked this pick. He does bring potential as a third down back, role player sort of guy. Unfortunately with how fragile our RB's have been I think we should have gone with a different sort of player. My issue is we already have many third down back sort of characters. Penny is a decent receiver, and Homer sort of fulfills that change of pace, receiver out of the backfield niche as well. We already have a lot of those style of backs. Now, or other back could be the dark horse that we drafted. Unfortunately I couldn't find any footage of him.
(side note, I'm a fan of that wide receiver we picked up from Flordia. Good return man and I think if given the chance he has the potential to be a good slot receiver for us. Exactly the type of receiver we needed.).
Overall I think Carroll and JS got too cute here. Of course I may be wrong and I tried going into this with an open mind. The more I watched Brooks and Lewis in particular the more questions arose in my head. I know players are drafted for what they can become rather than what they are in college as well as other things such as potential teach-ability and scheme fit. Even considering that some of the Seahawks choices have me scratching my head. I hope I'm here eating crow in the next few years. As of right now the only one I have hope to be a good starter for us is Taylor. Even he has some issues that could derail him (as do most collegiate players).
